Groupon IPO Follows a Year of Success, Big Deals and Buyout Offers

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We knew it was coming. Groupon's prospective IPO has been the talk of the town ever since Google
GOOGattempted to acquire
the daily deal organization last fall. The reports were
all but daily
, with every rumor indicating that Groupon would be sold to the search engine giant. Groupon could have done
many things
for Google, so much so that it was believed that
another search giant
wanted to acquire the firm. But Groupon
stayed independent
, inspired a host of
new competitors
– including variations from the
makers of Windows
and political commentator
Glenn Beck
– helped Eric Lefkofsky (one of Groupon's founders) make the
Forbes 400 billionaires list
, and earned
big bucks
last year. Earlier this year, Groupon
announced its plans
to expand its staff in China. The biggest news, however, came when reports surfaced that Goldman Sachs'
GS
CEO, Lloyd Blankfei,
met with Groupon
to discuss its IPO. At the time, Morgan Stanley
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MS
was also said to be in talks with Groupon. Today, the news is official. The company that's known for delivering
unprecedented deals
has
filed a $750 million IPO
. According to Bloomberg, this IPO will make it easier for Groupon to make
big acquisitions
. But corporate owners and execs are not the only ones who will benefit. Groupon has also stated that every full-time employee will
own equity in the firm
. “We are very good at knowing what we're not good at,” Brad Keywell, one of Groupon's founders, told Benzinga
last December
. “We understand what we're not good at and we try to avoid those things.” Needless to say, this has been a very successful strategy for Keywell, who, along with Lefkofsky and Andrew Mason, took Groupon from a clever concept to an international powerhouse. The company's IPO proves that Groupon made the
right decision
when it chose to reject its many buyout offers. Groupon's IPO comes before the highly anticipated
Facebook IPO
but follows the
heavily hyped
LinkedIn
LNKD
IPO. The company's proposed stock symbol is GRPN. Stay tuned to Benzinga for further updates on Groupon's initial public offering.
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Posted In: Long IdeasShort IdeasMovers & ShakersIPOsSuccess StoriesStartupsAnalyst RatingsTrading IdeasGeneralandrew masonBloombergbrad keywelleric lefkofskyFacebookFinancialsForbes 400 billionaires listGrouponInformation TechnologyInternet Software & ServicesInvestment Banking & BrokerageLinkedInLloyd Blankfei
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